1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the synthesis and identification of novobiocin analogues useful as a class of anticancer agents and/or neuroprotective agents. The compounds of the present invention act by inhibition of the Hsp90 protein-folding machinery.
2. Description of Related Art
The 90 kDa heat shock proteins (“Hsp90”) belong to a family of chaperones that regulate intracellular functions and are required for the refolding of denatured proteins following heat shock, as well as the conformational maturation of a large number of key proteins involved in cellular processes. The Hsp90 family of chaperones is comprised of four different isoforms. Hsp90α (inducible/major form) and Hsp90β (constitutive/minor form) are found predominately in the cytosol, the 94-kDa glucose-regulated protein (“GRP94”) is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, and Hsp75/tumour necrosis factor receptor associated protein 1 (“TRAP-1”) resides mainly in the mitochondrial matrix. These Hsp90s bind to client proteins in the presence of cochaperones, immunophilins, and partner proteins to make the multiprotein complex responsible for conformational maturation of newly formed nascent peptides into biologically active three-dimensional structures.
As discussed more fully below, Hsp90 is an ATP-dependent protein with an ATP binding site in the N-terminal region of the active homodimer. Disruption of the ATPase activity of Hsp90 results in the destabilization of multiprotein complexes and subsequent ubiquitination of the client protein, which undergoes proteasome-mediated hydrolysis. More specifically, in an ATP-dependent fashion, Hsp70 binds to newly synthesized proteins cotranslationally and/or posttranslationally to stabilize the nascent peptide by preventing aggregation. Stabilization of the Hsp70/polypeptide binary complex is dependent upon the binding of Hsp70 interacting protein (“HIP”), which occurs after Hsp70 binds to the newly formed peptide. Hsp70-Hsp90 organizing protein (“HOP”) contains highly conserved tetratricopeptide repeats (“TPRs”) that are recognized by both Hsp70 and Hsp90, promoting the union of Hsp70/HIP and Hsp90, which results in a heteroprotein complex. In the case of telomerase and steroid hormone receptors, the client protein is transferred from the Hsp70 system to the Hsp90 homodimer with concomitant release of Hsp70, HIP, and HOP. Upon binding of ATP and an immunophilin with cis/trans peptidyl prolyl-isomerase activity (FKBP51, FKBP52, or CyPA), the ensemble folds the client protein into its three-dimensional structure. In a subsequent event, p23 binds Hsp90 near the N-terminal region promoting the hydrolysis of ATP and release of the folded protein, Hsp90 partner proteins, and ADP.
Examples of proteins dependent upon Hsp90 for conformational maturation include oncogenic and cellular Src kinases (v-Src, Hck, Lck), Raf, p185, mutant p53 (not normal p53), telomerase, steroid hormone receptors, polo-like kinase (“PLK”), protein kinase B (“AKT”), death domain kinase (“RIP”), MET kinase, focal adhesion kinase (“FAK”), aryl hydrocarbon receptor, RNA-dependent protein kinase (“PKR”), nitric oxide synthase (“NOS”), centrosomal proteins, PI3 kinases, androgen receptor (“AR”), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (“MMP2”) and others. In addition, other proteins, such as cyclin dependent kinase 4 (“CDK4”), cyclin dependent kinase 6 (“CDK6”), estrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (“Her-2” or “erbB2”) are thought to be client proteins of Hsp90. Of these Hsp90 client proteins, Raf, PLK, RIP, AKT, FAK, telomerase, HER-2, and MET kinase are directly associated with the six hallmarks of cancer: (1) self-sufficiency in growth signals; (2) insensitivity to antigrowth signals; (3) evasion of apoptosis; (4) unlimited replication potential; (5) sustained angiogenesis; and (6) tissue invasion/metastasis. Consequently, Hsp90 is a target for the development of cancer therapeutics because multiple signaling pathways can be simultaneously inhibited by disruption of the Hsp90 protein folding machinery.
Hsp90 contains two nucleotide-binding sites: the N-terminal ATP binding site is the region to which geldanamycin (“GDA”), 17-(allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (“17-AAG”), herbimycin A (“HB”), and radicicol bind (see Roe et al., Structural Basis for Inhibition of the Hsp90 Molecular Chaperone by the Antitumor Antibiotics Radicicol and Geldanamycin, J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 260-266) and the C-terminus, which was recently shown to bind novobiocin (see Marcu et al., The Heat Shock Protein 90 Antagonist Novobiocin Interacts with a Previously Unrecognized ATP-binding Domain in the Carboxy Terminis of the Chaperone, J. Biol. Chem. 2000, 276, 37181).
